


The Well Nigh Foiled Surprise

by dragyn42



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-04-28
Updated: 2010-04-28
Packaged: 2020-03-01 04:13:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18792751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragyn42/pseuds/dragyn42
Summary: Harry’s surprise is almost ruined.





	The Well Nigh Foiled Surprise

**Author's Note:**

> Exchange: takingitinturns - Keeping Secrets  
> To: lunalovepotter  
>   
> lunalovepotter, I really loved your prompts and had fun letting them play out. I’ve enjoyed your works for quite a while and really hope this lets me return at least a little of that back to you. And I have to thank flyingcarpet for her patience, her last minute beta work and her very helpful comments.

It really was unfair. Not that Molly meant it to be, really, but she had a tendency to take charge in such a way that other people plans were reduced to insignificance. She made plans and the family followed – they were family. Harry only wished she would just _once_ ask if he already had plans before telling him what the plans were.

What was even more annoying was that it wasn’t even a special day – at least, not to anyone else. Who would think that a Thursday night would be chosen for a family get-together? And it wasn’t as if he could tell her what he wanted to do. _“Gee, Mrs. Weasley. I really wish we could all get together with the family, but I have plans for your little girl.”_ Right, he was lucky she occasionally realized Ginny was of age and allowed to spend time with boys if she wanted.

Ginny could talk her out of it. Harry thoroughly enjoyed last Christmas when Molly announced the family plans for Boxing Day: they were all to spend time visiting Aunt Muriel. There were ‘yes’s and ‘of course’s from around the room, until Ginny, that is. She looked right at her mother and said, “No. Harry and I have plans.”

There was a row, and Harry was thoroughly aroused watching Ginny’s eyes flame with anger. Ultimately, Molly had no choice but to let Ginny and Harry out of the plans. She didn’t talk to her daughter for the rest of the holiday break, but by the new year, she’d forgiven them.

Sighing, he stared at the voucher in his hand. He had worked hard to set this up, and now he had to keep working before Molly single handedly ruined it all. Harry sighed again.

The front door slammed and Harry quickly shoved the slip of parchment into his pocket. He put a smile onto his face as he saw Ginny bounce into the room.

“You really need to quit the Aurors and just play Quidditch, Harry. It’s so much fun!” she greeted. She ran into his arms as he stood to greet her.

“Nah, love. I can’t get onto the Harpies, and that means I’d have to play against you. I don’t think I could make myself do that – at least, not for a living.” He kissed her hello.

“I’m not on the Harpies,” she murmured into his kiss.

“Yet. You’re smiling; you had a good day; you will be a Harpy.”

“I had a great day,” she agreed, pulling away only slightly, staying within his embrace. “If it keeps going like this, I’m going to be a Harpy!” she squealed, a very un-Ginny like sound.

Very little made Ginny this happy. She had told him last year during one of their many talks about the future – especially now that Harry had one – that one of her dreams since she was a little girl was to be a Harpy. Harry knew that she was extremely proud of the autographed poster of Gwenog Jones that hung in her room at the Burrow.

“So,” he said, “Dinner? Or are you going home tonight?”

“Tonight I’m going to pretend all my childhood dreams have come true, that I’m a Harpy and married to Harry Potter.”

“Whatever you want. I’ll go get something on for dinner.”

Ginny kissed him again, deeply, and walked down the hall to the stairs, towards the bedroom so she could clean and change. Harry wandered into the kitchen and started looking through the cabinets. They were bare except for some pasta, some rice and a couple cans of soup. Opening the icebox, he found leftover pizza and a head of lettuce.

“Master Harry has not been eating much at home,” Kreacher croaked in a very disappointed, well... croak. “Is Mistress Ginny staying for dinner?”

“Yeah, she is,” Harry said. “I was hoping to make something.”

“You cannot cook what you do not have,” replied Kreacher, his spindly arms crossed and his foot tapping on the floor.

It had taken several months, but Harry and his elf had come to an uneasy truce. Kreacher very much disapproved of his master cooking for himself, but came to understand that Harry honestly enjoyed it. As a result, Kreacher only made food when directly asked, and he had his own supply of food he used that Harry didn’t know where it was. The elf would not keep Harry’s kitchen stocked with food and took great pleasure in making Harry ask when he ran out.

“All right, fine. Could you please make Ginny and myself a nice dinner? Nothing too big, though.”

It was difficult to make out any degree of expression on the wizened elf’s face, but Harry swore the menace was smirking. “Of course, Master Harry. Kreacher would be honored to make you dinner.”

“Smart ass,” mumbled Harry as he was exiled from his own kitchen.

Back in the living room, he was laying on the sofa, perusing an Auror manual about operational safety when the whole sofa shook. Ginny had dropped down at his feet, grinning.

“Out of food, again?” At Harry’s disappointed nod, she leaned across. “Don’t worry. Now I can make you relax. So put that book down.”

She crawled up Harry’s body, knocking the book to the ground, and lay over him, lowering herself to him for a kiss. Harry never realized exactly how much tension he built up working at the Ministry, but it was always made clear to him when it drained away each and every time he lost himself in Ginny this way. She buried her hands in his hair just as his hands moved up the back of her shirt. Actually, it was his shirt, but she enjoyed the freedom of his shirts when relaxing at his place.

Her smooth, now clean skin under his hands and arms was, for him, an amazingly erotic experience. Ginny knew that and it was one of the reasons she liked wearing his shirts with nothing under them. The smell of her freshly-shampooed hair was intoxicating. Their kissing became more passionate as he lost himself in the taste and feel of her. And then things became more heated when Ginny began to press her upper body into his and grind her hips into his very noticeable erection. She whimpered a bit into his mouth and he groaned in response.

Harry was now stroking and rubbing at her back, pulling her in to him as much as he could. Ginny was working one hand between their bodies to open his trousers when a gravelly clearing of the throat made itself known from the doorway.

“Dinner is served.”

No longer did the couple jump apart when Kreacher appeared and they were otherwise engaged. It became very clear, very quickly, that nothing happened in the household that the elf didn’t know of. And he was discreet. He never did anything to embarrass them about what he may or may not have seen, and bound to Harry as he was, he would never tell anyone.

Pulling away slowly with a smile, Ginny gave Harry one more peck on the lips, her eyes still blazing, and levered herself off of Harry, standing up next to him. Groaning in frustration, Harry sat up and took a moment to adjust himself in his trousers under Ginny’s coy gaze.

While Harry didn’t even have enough in his own cabinets to make a full meal of pasta, Kreacher had put together a lovely roasted chicken in basil-olive oil with a heaping helping of vegetables. The couple talked about Harry’s day at the Ministry and how most of it was actually spent with the Aurors. While he wasn’t a fully fledged Auror, Kingsley had made him a deal that if he worked with the Ministry in the unwanted tasks of cleaning and revising laws, as well as sorting out the mess with the Muggleborns that the war had caused, Harry could train hands-on with the Aurors.

Ginny went into great, joyous detail about the tryouts, the drills they ran, and the witches she got to compete against for the positions. There were only two Chaser positions and one Beater position open, and the drills involved a lot of formation flying. The one test Ginny loved, though, was when the Chasers raced for the Snitch, demonstrating speed and the ability to think and dodge on the fly. Gwenog was thrilled when Ginny actually caught the Snitch, something that rarely happened among the Chasers.

“Your Mum Floo’ed me today,” said Harry.

“Oh? What’d she want?”

“Apparently, Thursday _is_ going to be a family get-together. What with Bill and Fleur unable to make it two weeks ago, Charlie’s dragon mishap last Friday and Ron and George starting their restock this Friday, she decided that this Thursday, everyone was getting together.”

“Ohh! That’ll be great. I should know by Thursday afternoon if I made the team. I can tell them all at dinner.” She looked closely at Harry and noticed that there was disappointment in his eyes. “You don’t want to go.”

“I would, it’s just... I was hoping to spend some time with you. You find out Thursday that you made the team, and then you don’t need to be back until Monday. I already took Friday off, and I was hoping we could...”

“It’s only dinner. We’ll go, spend time with my family, and then we’ll come back. We’ll have plenty of time together, you’ll see.” She leaned across the table and whispered in his ear, “And thank you for taking Friday off. It’s going to be great. Let’s go upstairs for a preview.”

Harry’s disappointment about the upcoming Thursday, his upset that the voucher in his pocket might go to waste, was lost as the couple ran up the stairs, stripping their clothing on the way so that they were naked by the time they reached the bed in the master bedroom. Ginny had beaten Harry to the bed and turned around just in time for him to tackle her to the mattress. She shrieked, though it quickly turned to moans as Harry kissed her, and then the rest of her body, paying close attention to her breasts – he loved her breasts, and she loved him loving her breasts – and between her legs.

“Now, Harry, please!” Ginny begged.

Moving swiftly back up her body, he took her mouth with his and then entered her, pushing in with one, slow stroke, causing both of them to moan into each other’s mouths. Their lovemaking was deep and passionate, the couple pleasing each other in ways that only two people in love can. It wasn’t long before Ginny was crying out her release, pulling away from Harry so that she could breathe as she did so, and her own contractions causing Harry to follow and spill into her.

As was often the case, Harry’s work at the Ministry and Ginny’s efforts at tryouts left them both knackered and one round was all they got. Naked, the pair cuddled together and fell asleep.

* * *

Ginny awoke to an empty bed. It wasn’t unusual since Harry often went into the Ministry first thing. He told her that the earlier he got there, the more time he usually got to spend with the Aurors. She was happy for him that, even without his N.E.W.T.s, his wish to become an Auror was going to come true. She was also secretly glad that Kingsley was teaching him that it was okay to use his fame to get things taken care of when it made things better for everyone.

She knew Harry wished he didn’t have to play those silly games – that he could just be an Auror. He would have happily gone through the normal training. But Kingsley had persuaded him to use his name and his fame to convince various politicians and businesses to do what was right for the rebuilding of Wizarding Britain. Ginny’s only true regret was that, in agreeing, Harry’s decision included not coming back to Hogwarts. He didn’t really _need_ the education, not with what he was learning on the job, but she would have liked him to be there with her.

Getting back together with Harry after the Battle had happened naturally. Neither of them said or did anything, it just occured. She understood why Harry broke up with her when he left, and when it was all over, he still obviously wanted to be with her – she never stopped feeling the same about him. Through the memorials and funerals, the support get-togethers and government apologies, through it all, she and Harry had been nearly inseparable. They always showed up together, left together, and no one thought anything about it. They belonged together.

But then school approached, and Kingsley’s offer came. Ginny spent a lot of time helping Harry talk out his options, and joining in the meetings with him, the Minister and Headmistress McGonagall, Harry was convinced that the Ministry was the right thing. Ginny wanted more than anything to be selfish, and to tell Harry to do the same. But that wasn’t her Harry – he simply didn’t know how to not look after others. Besides, it was only nine months, with breaks, and then they would have forever.

For now, she was about to fulfill her other dream. Getting up, she showered, enjoying the slight soreness between her thighs. When she finished her shower, she found her clothes from yesterday cleaned and ready, as were her Quidditch robes, pressed and packed in her bag.

In the kitchen, Kreacher was just placing a plate of eggs, sausage, toast and marmalade out for her, along with a glass of orange juice.

“Thanks, Kreacher,” she said, digging into her breakfast.

“Of course, Mistress,” he replied. The ancient elf had decided that since Harry was his Master, then Ginny was his Mistress, legal or not, and no one seemed to be able to convince him otherwise, so they had stopped trying. It amused Ginny, not to mention made her feel even more connected to Harry, which was wonderful, though it drove Hermione crazy – which also amused Ginny.

Tryouts were even better than the day before. This day’s accomplishments included an astounding tryout record of nine goals in a twelve minute formation exercise, as well as yet another catch of the Snitch, prompting Gwenog to ask if Ginny might not want to go for Seeker instead. Ginny floated into the locker room to change after several of the current team members indicated to her that if she kept it up, she would have the open Chaser position locked up.

Once changed, she went home to the Burrow. That was a change that had seemed to sneak up on her; she now had two homes: home to the Burrow and home to Harry. Luckily, she had not made that slip in front of her mother who had, so far, shown amazing self control in not lecturing, yelling, screaming or otherwise going off on Ginny for staying so often at Harry’s. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what they were up to and Molly didn’t like it.

“How were tryouts?” asked her mother after she dropped her back off in her room and came down for a snack.

“Great, I really think this is going to happen.”

“That’s wonderful, dear. I’m so happy for you.” Ginny noticed her mother’s finger twitching. Obviously she was doing her best no to say anything about Ginny’s absence once again the previous night. “How’s Harry?”

“Tired. Stressed. He does so much for the Ministry. Helping with the rebuilding and training with the Aurors.” Mrs. Weasley nodded her understanding. “And, of course, he pushes himself so hard. He goes in early and stays late more often than not. Kingsley makes sure the parchment pushers only keep him around for the prerequisite amount of time, so Harry puts as much extra time as he can into the Aurors.”

“It’s who he is, dear. Always helping others.”

“I know. I just wish he would relax for once. Maybe do something he wanted to do just because he wants to do it, not because he wants to help others.”

Her mother’s response was cut off with a tapping at the window. Arcadia was at the window. The tan mottled, horned owl had attached herself to Harry one day at the Ministry post. The owl, Arcadia according to the Postmaster, would no longer deliver mail for anyone else. Harry, however, didn’t want to accept her as his own – he was still, even after a year, getting over Hedwig – and Arcadia seemed to accept it... for now.

Opening the window, Ginny addressed the bird as it flew in and landed gracefully on the kitchen table. “Hey girl, what do you have for me?”

The owl proudly offered her leg and Ginny removed the tiny slip of parchment. I was a note from Harry that he was going to be late that night. Ginny wasn’t surprised, but she sighed anyway. That meant she probably wasn’t going to see Harry until Thursday.

Whether or not he was available tomorrow, she wouldn’t be. She had been warned that the Wednesday night before final cuts, the team and potential members went out for a night on the town. One last hurrah.

With a disappointed smile to Arcadia, she asked, “Would you mind waiting a bit, girl? I’ll give you some dinner for Harry. I doubt the boy will eat unless you make him.”

With a hoot that could only be agreement, the owl glided over to the family owl perch in the living room and made free with some water and owl treats. She then tucked her head for a quick rest until it was time to return to the Ministry.

“So, you’ll be spending tonight with us, then?” asked Mrs. Weasley.

“Yes, Mum. Harry’s, once again, decided to let them make him work late.”

“I can’t say I’m happy he’s working so much, but I am glad he’s working hard for what he wants. And it allows you to spend more time here. With your family.”

“Mum, don’t start. Please,” complained Ginny.

“I’m sorry, Ginny dear. I think I’ve been awfully good about this, but you’re not even engaged, much less married. It’s not right for you to spend the night. Especially not as much as you do.”

“Mum,” she bit out. “It doesn’t matter, not to us. Can’t you just be happy for us?”

“It’s been over a year. You would think he would have at least talked to us about...”

She was cut off by an increasingly annoyed Ginny. “Mum, stop it! I was at school. He works. I’m trying out for the Harpies. When has there been time for anything else?! And it hasn’t been a year. It’s only been...”

Ginny’s eyes popped open and she jumped up to go look at the calender hanging on the wall. Under the spell of the month – _Anima_ \- animate your household utensils and cook and clean more efficiently! Just a swish and jab! – Ginny stared at the Thursday circled and marked, “Final Cuts.” Right under that was, “Family dinner.”

“Mum,” her voice was very careful. “When you told Harry about Thursday, did you tell him or ask him?”

“What do you mean?”

“Did you say, ‘We are having a family dinner Thursday night,’ or did you ask him if he had plans on Thursday before telling him?”

“What does it matter, dear? If he couldn’t make it, he would have told me.”

“No, he wouldn’t! He doesn’t want to disappoint you, Mum. You still treat all of us like little kids, but unlike the rest of us, he still lets you. Think of how he grew up, he doesn’t know how to say no when you do that. Bugger!” she yelled as she stormed out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

“Ginny, language!” cried out Mrs. Weasley after her retreating daughter. Knowing there was no way to get anything else out of her daughter until she calmed down, she went ahead and began dinner.

Ginny sat heavily at her desk and stared at the glass dome that contained a preserved primrose flower. It wasn’t much to look at, and she thought he was silly for having picked it – her mother later told her when she saw it that Harry could have gotten in trouble for doing so – but it was the sentiment behind the flower that was meaningful to Ginny.

Together for over a year, indeed. In fact, if he had never asked, she would even agree with her mother. But one day last summer, as they walked the meadows by the Burrow, he picked the flower and asked her the question. In the haze of everything that happened, she had forgotten. But he hadn’t.

She pulled out some parchment and wrote two notes. Her first letter was straightforward, but the second she had to word carefully as not to give away that she knew. Maybe she could surprise him.

With the letters written, blotted, sealed and addressed, she finally made her way back downstairs. In the kitchen, she expected her mother to be a bit peeved, but instead was handed a parcel of food for Harry.

“I am sorry, Ginny. I just so much wanted a family evening. It’s been three weeks, and who would have thought anyone would have plans for a Thursday night?”

“I know you meant well, Mum. But you have to remember, Harry won’t say no to you. He doesn’t want to disappoint you.” She grabbed the parcel and said, “We’ll still be a family next week, yeah?”

Ginny walked over to Arcadia whose head popped right up and stared at her with interest.

“Okay, girl. The package and this note are for Harry. Hang around, make sure he eats, please?” The owl’s head actually nodded. “Good. This second letter is for the Postmaster. I think our plans are going to have to move up. Just make sure Harry doesn’t see it.”

Arcadia hooted and butted her head against Ginny’s hand, causing her to giggle. Taking flight, the owl soared out the window and Ginny quickly lost sight of her.

* * *

The one thing Harry hated about working with the Aurors as a trainee was the paperwork. Oh, he knew Aurors always had paperwork, but he was sure they were dumping much of the busy work off on him. In fact, if wasn’t doing other work for Kingsley, chances were the rest of the time he was at the Ministry would be spent doing Auror paperwork as well.

He didn’t mind too much, especially when it helped keep his mind off Ginny. She had sent him food last night – it was obviously Molly’s cooking. And once he read her letter, he really wanted to talk to her, but he didn’t finish until extremely late. When he arrived home, his house was empty and dark, and it was obvious Ginny had spent the night at the Burrow.

Tonight he wouldn’t see her either. She was out with the team and the last group of hopefuls. He hoped she had fun, she deserved it. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that she would be hitting the bars with the Harpies again next year as a fully fledged member of the team.

_Harry,_

_Enjoy the food. I doubt I’ll see you tonight, and I probably won’t be in any condition to see you tomorrow. So Thursday, get your arse home from work and I’ll meet you at your place. You’ll be the first person I tell before our plans._

_Love always,_  
_-Ginny_

‘Our plans’ she wrote. How he wished that meant his plans. That maybe she even had plans of her own for the two of them. Unfortunately, after their discussion the previous evening, he knew it meant the upcoming night at the Burrow.

He was also sure that the post owl had stayed just to make sure he ate. That particular owl seemed to deliver stuff to him and for him an awful lot. In many ways, she reminded him of Hedwig. Maybe it was time he actually looked into another, as much as it hurt. Hedwig, his friend, wouldn’t be upset by it.

Once home for the evening, he asked Kreacher to fix a light dinner. He didn’t feel like cooking and was still trying to figure out if he could get Ginny to go out alone with him instead of to the family dinner tomorrow night. But ultimately, he wouldn’t know until he saw her.

* * *

The next day, Harry finished his last bit of paperwork and left the Ministry a half an hour early. He Apparated to Grimmauld place and walked up the sidewalk to his house. Upon entering the front door, the air was knocked from his chest as he was tackled against the wall, and he found he had trouble breathing as his mouth was now occupied by an extremely enthusiastic redhead.

It took him a moment to remember he could breath in through his nose as well, and then he was happily returning her attentions. He lost track of time, but eventually, Ginny pulled away and he was left gazing into her excited eyes and flushed, grinning face.

“So, it’s a yes?” he asked.

“Yes!” she shouted, laughing. “I’m a Harpy!”

“Congratulations!” he laughed with her. He wrapped his arms around her, spinning her. “Let’s go celebrate. I guess that means... your family?”

There was a brief moment of regret that appeared in Ginny’s face, but it was gone quickly. “Oh, Harry. I can’t believe I forgot. I should be the one yelling at you for forgetting something like this – it’s the man’s job to forget, you know.”

“Then...”

“Mum said something that reminded me. So I told her we weren’t going to be there tonight.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely, Harry. This is _our_ night.”

Stepping away from her, Harry struck a pose. His legs apart, his right hand splayed across his chest, his left arm out and beckoning, he dramatized to her, “Ginny, one year ago today, you agreed once more to be my girlfriend. Shall we go celebrate our anniversary?”

Ginny couldn’t help but laugh as she nodded and asked, “Where are we going? Do I need to take anything.”

“You don’t need anything, and it’s a secret,” he told her. Pulling the voucher from his pocket, he wrapped her in an embrace and the slip of parchment whisked them away with the tug of a Portkey.

* * *

When Ginny opened her eyes, all she saw was surf, sand and trees. And Harry, standing with his hands in his pockets, looking hopeful. Behind Harry, there was a simple beach house that blended into the natural feel of the place.

“Wow,” she whispered. “Where are we?”

“Wizarding beach house for two, private beach, and it’s all ours for the whole weekend.”

For the second time that day, Ginny tackled Harry, rolling him over and kissing him into the sand.

Finally pulling away, Ginny saw Harry smiling up at her as he said, “Happy anniversary, and congratulations.”

“Show me the house,” she said as she smiled back.

Using both hands, she helped hoist him up. He then wrapped his arm around her waist and she felt a thrill as he guided her towards the cabin.

Wizarding cabin indeed. The outside seemed to indicate a dwelling just large enough for two people: a kitchen, a bathroom, a bedroom, and probably just enough room for a cozy living room. Inside, however, was a different story. The kitchen had full sized appliances as well as plenty of cabinet and counter space – even an island. The living room was definitely cozy, but by no means small with sofa, loveseat, fireplace and hearth rug. The master bedroom was easily as large as the other two rooms put together. And the bathroom came with both a shower and tub – each large enough for two people – and two sinks.

“It’s perfect, Harry.”

“I’m glad, because I think we’ll be spending a fair amount of time here. There’s nothing else on this island, and the return Portkey won’t go off until Sunday.”

“Then we need to get started.”

“Started?”

“Of course. If these are the only clothes I have, then I don’t want to keep wearing them for four days. And if I’m going to be naked...”

“I like the way you think, Miss Weasley.”

The couple was undressed in record speed and Ginny darted back through the door. Harry ran after her, finding her sprawled out on the over-sized mattress. Her hair fanned out on the pillows, and her legs bent, canted sideways. She smiled hotly at him when he stopped to stare at her.

“You, my wonderful man, have remembered an anniversary, and even managed to keep it a secret to surprise me. I’ve been thinking of ways I can thank you all day long. I think that’s as much foreplay as I need, so stop staring and get over here!”

That was all Harry needed to spur into action. He climbed onto the bed and slid up her naked body. If he thought skin on skin was erotic, she was going to keep him excited this entire weekend. Ginny moaned as Harry stopped to pay homage to her breasts, her light nipples already hard with excitement.

He kissed up her neck and took her mouth with his own. Shortly after that, she felt him enter her. She wrapped her arms around his back, the pressure inside her climbing as Harry pumped himself in and out of her, and when he finally released into her, the pressure exploded and took her with it.

Twice more they made love before Ginny realized she was starving. She followed Harry who had grabbed a robe from the closet – so they didn’t need to be entirely naked all weekend, pity – and watched as he pulled out ingredients from the fully stocked pantry. Like Kreacher, she knew how much Harry enjoyed cooking, especially for her, and she enjoyed watching him.

They were talking, enjoying his deliciously prepared Shepherd’s pie, when a tapping at the window caused Harry to start, obviously upset as no one should know where they were. Ginny simply walked over to the window and let the owl in.

“Bloody hell, I’m supposed to be off. What do they want, now?” complained Harry.

Ginny began to laugh at Harry.

“No, really. This is one of the Ministry owls. She delivers their memos to me all the time. If she’s here, they want something.”

This only caused Ginny to laugh even harder.

“Well, it’s not like I can get back, unless this is a Portkey. It’s not, is it?” he asked the horned owl. The messenger simply cocked her head. “Guess not. Well, let’s see it. What do they want that I’m not going to do.”

He took the parchment from the owl’s leg and opened to read what it said. He was greatly confused with what he saw.

“Arcadia? What’s that?”

“Her name,” said Ginny, trying to get her laughter under control.

“And how would you know that?”

“The Postmaster told me.”

“Okay... but why is she delivering her name?”

“Because she’s now yours.”

Harry just stared back and forth between Ginny and Arcadia for a moment. “But... How? You can’t just _buy_ a Ministry owl. The owls have all been trained to handle classified documents. The Ministry doesn’t part with them.”

“They didn’t really have a choice,” said Ginny.

“Why? This wasn’t someone throwing my name around, was it?”

“You mean, you really don’t know?” asked Ginny. It never occurred to her that Harry wouldn’t know about Arcadia’s adoption of him.

“Know what?”

“Harry, the first time you used Arcadia, she stopped delivering mail for anyone else.” Harry was staring at her. “If someone came to the owl post to deliver something to you, she would insist on being the delivery owl. And you’re the only one she’d deliver anything for otherwise.

“The Postmaster thought the whole thing was pretty funny, but it left him one secure owl down. Although, it was easy to make sure you always got your post. Anyway, they were happy to sell.”

“You...”

“I got you an owl Harry. Happy anniversary.”

Harry stroked Arcadia’s feathered head, and she eagerly leaned into his hand. “I hope we’ll be good friends, Arcadia.”

She responded with a _hoot_ and a nod.

Ginny just laughed. Harry seemed to attract the smart owls. “Do I have to be jealous?” she asked.

Harry turned from Arcadia and hugged Ginny as hard as he could. “Thank you so much. This is a great present.”

“You’re welcome, Harry. I’m glad you like her.”

“You know, if you’re jealous, we can always ask her to let your parents know you’re a Harpy, leaving us alone to continue celebrating.”

“What do you say, Arcadia?” asked Ginny from Harry’s embrace. “Would you deliver a note to my parents?”

The owl stared at the couple intently before answering with another _hoot_.

Ginny grabbed some parchment and an Ever-Inking Quill from a drawer and jotted off a note giving her family the good news. After tying the letter to Arcadia’s leg, the owl nipped at Ginny, hopped closer to Harry to nip at him as well, and then flew off out the window.

“So, I believe you promised me celebrations?” inquired Ginny.

“Indeed I did,” Harry answered. “You know, there are several rooms in this house. We’ve already tried the bedroom. How about some others?”

Harry dropped his robe, and undid the sash on Ginny’s for her to do the same. He then grabbed her by the waist and hoisted her onto the table. “What do you say?”

“I say,” said Ginny, pulling him in for a kiss, “That this weekend is just getting started.”


End file.
